Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Fender
Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Our story starts in 2020 when my husband, Derek and I met. We found each other during the Covid-19 shut down and started talking like most single folks do. He learned of my past and I had learned of his. He had just lost his first wife and mother of his oldest daughter to Stage 4 Metastatic Lung Cancer in November of 2019. We had a lot of time to get to know each other as he was retired from the Army and I had just departed from my job as a 911 dispatcher. I started to learn of his late wife and I truly wanted to help him through his grief. He and Jenny (his late wife) had spent almost 20 years together and travelled the world and in what seemed like an instant, she was gone. I was falling so in love with this man who was still grieving. How could I help this sweet precious man with this one year old baby get through grief and enjoy life?
Derek allowed me to look through the paperwork from Tennessee Oncology and I found through research that some of what contributed to the rapid spread of cancer was potentially carcinogens from candles! One day when I was washing bottles and wiping off the counter top from where a big name candle was sitting, I wiped black soot off the counter top. I did more research to find out what was sitting on our countertops and it was. Soot is carbon particles. Carbon particles can cause cancer, mutate cells and cause worse problems for cancer patients or mutate cells in a way where medicine won’t work any longer.
So I thought, what if we could create a candle that was CLEAN. Clean burning, great smelling. All of the luxury you deserve in a candle with NONE of the bad stuff. So once again that lead me to Google, Facebook, TikTok etc. learning all I could about what a clean candle contains.
We found a fragrance supplier that GUARANTEES clean fragrances mainly derived of essential oils and a man-made carrier oil that is completely free of any toxins. Next we found a wax supplier that uses only the best and organic soy waxes produced right here in the United States. And last, we found a wick company that does not contain a lead center. It’s an all organic cotton wick that’s been dipped in organic soy wax to keep it’s shape while the candle sets up.
I founded Fender Farmhouse Co. kept Derek’s hands busy, it allowed us to speak about the importance of a good quality candle for the air that you breathe and it also allows both Derek and our oldest Daughter to speak about her birth mother.
The business became official on 12.1.2021 – Jenny’s Birthday.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. But it’s been so worth it. The science it takes to make a candle. The proper temperature for each fragrance depending on the keynotes. It’s so much more than just putting melted wax and some smell good stuff in a jar with a wick.
We’ve accidentally left the wax pot on and melted wax flowed everywhere on the floor. It’s quite messy.
We’ve knocked over jars, broken glass, spilled fragrance oil (that was an expensive accident).
Square wanted to hold our funds because we at one point got inundated with orders after a Social Media Influencer shared our product on TikTok.
Taxes were and are still so difficult to navigate.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets us apart from your average candle maker is that ours comes with a purpose to save lives. To get toxins out of your home. To give you a luxury experience without the fear of what you are breathing in. To clean the air using only the best ingredients after studying for years to source the best products available.
I’m most proud of our name in this brand. This is our family legacy. This is not only a place for our daughters and my Husband to be when things get tough. This is a therapy for my husband. As a disabled veteran and a widower this business has given him a purpose and a calling to help other people who are widowers and disabled veterans. Our farm is a safe place, judgement free and we welcome each customer with open arms. We hope that each experience we can leave our customers better than we found them. Whether that’s by a hug. Leading someone to God. Giving a hug. Selling a candle, or being a listening ear for someone going through the trials of life.
We want your readers to know that they are never alone in the difficulties of life. God is always with them and we are, too.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Faith and Family.
Without God, our business wouldn’t have taken the twists and turns it has to be successful.
It was at a farmers market at the Ole Milliken Store in Bethpage that we ran into a TikTok influencer. This influencer provided my mother a lot of laughs and uplifting words in a time where my mother was going through breast and kidney cancer treatments. I introduced myself and my business while we were selling our candles at this farmers market and my mother bought a candle for this influencer and then two weeks later, this influencer shared our story on her TikTok page and our business went viral.
Pricing:
- 16oz Mason Jar $33
- 18oz Double Wick Honeycomb Jar $42
- Wax Melts $6.50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fenderfarmhouseco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fenderfarmhouseco/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fenderfarmhouseco/
